Hong Kong (CNN) -- Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was among a number of student leaders arrested Wednesday as authorities cleared a key demonstration camp in the city's Mong Kok district.
By midday authorities had cleared barricades and tents from the protest camp in the bustling commercial district, which had been occupied to varying extents since pro-democracy protests erupted nearly two months ago. By mid-afternoon, lanes on the road were re-opened to traffic.
Wong, the 18-year-old founder of the secondary school activist group Scholarism, was arrested along with student leaders Lester Shum and Jason Szeto, according to Hong Kong Federation of Students spokeswoman Yvonne Leung.
READ: Who is Joshua Wong?
Prior to his arrest, Shum, the deputy secretary general of the student federation, told CNN he urged protesters to remain on the streets until the 'last second.'
'We will still conduct our civil disobedience action until the last second, until the plaintiffs or the police arrest us,' he said.
Bailiffs had been brought in to clear the Mong Kok protest camps in accordance with a court order obtained by local business interests, following complaints that the protests have disrupted life in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
Police clash with protesters as they try to clear a major protest site in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong on Tuesday, November 25. Pro-democracy demonstrators are angry about China's decision to allow only Beijing-vetted candidates to run in Hong Kong's elections for chief executive in 2017. Photos: Hong Kong unrest HK protests continue to draw support Authorities clear protestors off streetsHundreds of police gathered for the major clearance operation Wednesday morning, warning that anyone obstructing the bailiffs in their work would face charges of contempt of court or obstructing an officer.
Police met little significant resistance as they began clearing the road, ordering demonstrators to disperse. Some protesters were seen assisting authorities in dismantling shelters, others were tackled to the ground and detained by police as they attempted to block the clearance efforts.
Night of clashesThe police action followed a night of heated clashes between police and protesters, after authorities attempted to clear another section of the Mong Kok protest site on Argyle Street Tuesday.
As of 6 a.m. Wednesday Hong Kong-time, 116 people had been arrested during the confrontation in Mong Kok, according to Alice Tam of the Police Public Relations Branch. Offenses included resisting police, illegal assembly, possession of weapons and attacking police.
Twenty police officers were injured in clashes, said Tam.
Lawmaker and pro-democracy activist Leung Kwok-hung, commonly known as 'Long Hair,' was among those arrested, his office confirmed.
Tuesday's clearance effort began peacefully, with some protesters indicating their intention to relocate to other protest camps voluntarily.
But events spiraled into violence as crowd numbers swelled.
Police warned protesters to retreat, displaying banners that read 'Stop charging, or we use force,' before spraying liquid referred to by local media as 'tear water' toward the crowd.
As the situation Tuesday night escalated, activists issued calls on social media for reinforcements. The Hong Kong Federation of Students' tweeted: 'More support urgently needed in Mong Kok! Bring helmets, (goggles), shields, umbrellas, towels and be careful!'
Prior to leaving on a trip to South Korea on Tuesday, Hong Kong's chief executive, C.Y. Leung said he had confidence in police to handle the situation in Mong Kok and said the government remained willing to engage in dialogue on political reform.
Universal suffragePro-democracy protesters have occupied camps in parts of the city for nearly two months, including a main protest site outside government buildings in Admiralty on Hong Kong Island.
Seeking universal suffrage, they want to be able to nominate candidates for the election of the city's chief executive in 2017. Instead, China's National People's Congress has said they'll be able to vote only for candidates from a short list approved by a pro-Beijing committee.
Currently, the chief executive is elected by a specially appointed 1,200-member election committee.
At the peak of the protests in early October, tens of thousands of people were on the streets at three locations. But numbers have dwindled as the protests have continued, and recent local polling suggests support has dipped.
In a random survey of 513 people conducted by the University of Hong Kong, 83% said pro-democracy protesters should cease their occupation of major roads in Hong Kong, while just 13% said the protests should continue.
No plans to haltPrior to his arrest, Shum told CNN there were no plans to give up the protests.
'The most urgent step is to revoke the August 31 NPC decision. The political reform problem starts from there,' he said, referring to the Chinese central government's controversial decision to impose vetting restrictions on who could run for chief executive.
'If the Chinese communist party refuses to, or the Hong Kong government does not reflect how Hong Kong people think, we urge them to deny the political reform bill in the Legislative Council and restart the whole political process again.'
He said the decision on whether to remain on the streets and face violence or arrest was each individual protester's own to make.
'I believe it is a personal or individual decision, because everyone has different degrees of consequences that they have to face alone,' he said.
Who's who in the Hong Kong protests?
CNN's Anjali Tsui, Bex Wright, Elizabeth Joseph, Vivian Kam, Felicia Wong and Greg Botelho contributed to this report.
Entities 0 Name: Hong Kong Count: 10 1 Name: Mong Kok Count: 6 2 Name: CNN Count: 3 3 Name: Joshua Wong Count: 2 4 Name: China Count: 2 5 Name: Shum Count: 2 6 Name: Hong Kong Federation of Students Count: 2 7 Name: Mong Kok district Count: 1 8 Name: Greg Botelho Count: 1 9 Name: Leung Kwok-hung Count: 1 10 Name: Vivian Kam Count: 1 11 Name: Lester Shum Count: 1 12 Name: National People 's Congress Count: 1 13 Name: Yvonne Leung Count: 1 14 Name: Anjali Tsui Count: 1 15 Name: Hong Kong Island Count: 1 16 Name: Legislative Council Count: 1 17 Name: Wong Count: 1 18 Name: Elizabeth Joseph Count: 1 19 Name: Alice Tam Count: 1 20 Name: Scholarism Count: 1 21 Name: Felicia Wong Count: 1 22 Name: Chinese Count: 1 23 Name: C.Y. Leung Count: 1 24 Name: NPC Count: 1 25 Name: University of Hong Kong Count: 1 26 Name: Bex Wright Count: 1 27 Name: Tam Count: 1 28 Name: Jason Szeto Count: 1 29 Name: South Korea Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1rrOj0y Title: Hong Kong police arrest key student protest leaders Description: HONG KONG - Hong Kong authorities cleared more street barricades from a pro-democracy protest camp in a volatile district Wednesday, part of a two-day operation in which police arrested more than 100 people, including key student leaders. Police in helmets swiftly cleared obstructions from the 2-month-old protest site in Mong Kok, across Victoria Harbor from the main occupied area in the financial district.